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Mar. 8, 2007 When I read the funny papers I see colorful little caricatures who sometimes say funny things. Both the printed English letters and the freehand drawings are curious distortions. Like a shining silver pane in a house of horrors, both printed letters and the human imagination has lofty hills and deep valleys. Both the convoluted neocortex and the convoluted mind of a humorist present notable distortions of reality. Some people are amused but even so, some humorists become depressed and take their own lives. Now in a literary turnaround I seemingly distort the subject of this article. Talk about house of horrors! Recently in philosophy 391 class we've been studying the history of mathematical foundations. The class began with seven people. Yesterday only two students were present. The numbers in attendance change from week to week. Even at the university, distortions abound. But mathematics is supposed to be precise, and eliminate the imagination and the fanciful distortions of reality. And so some curious people have inquired into the foundations of mathematics. They want the TRUE foundations, not some distorted or fanciful version cooked up by a crazy person. Well, crazy or not, the famous philosopher Plato argued that numbers exist in a non-physical other-worldly realm of pure forms. The realm of pure forms also included the idea of a pure chair and the idea of a pure man, and the idea of an egg. One might ask "How big an egg?" Well, apparently the realm of forms is beyond space and time and so the idea of "bigness" was not germane to Plato's formal realm. Neither was the idea of distance. Time, also, was not relevant. But many mathematical theorists didn't think Plato's idea of a formal realm is necessary to explain what numbers TRULY are. Anyway, this morning in addition to thinking about the many different numbers I have been thinking about the many different possible distortions of the form of a chair. Even if we don't pay any attention to Platonic theory, there still are a vast number of variations on the form of a chair. And there is also the mind of a mathematical scientist who is interested only in the precise measurements and proportions found in a certain REAL chair. But then there is the caricaturist like Leonardo or Picasso who is full of imagination, who distorts the real image into a bazillion different variations. I am interested in the vast spectrum of individual human talent! I am interested, for example, in the unusual talent of Bertrand Russell, who examined critically the number theory of the theorist Guiseppe Peano and found that Peano's axioms didn't really define numbers, although the brilliant and meticulous Peano had thought they did. Russell made it clear that Peano's axioms also defined any mathematical progression. Or at least Mr. Russell argues this point in his book "The History of Mathematical Philosophy." I haven't examined all the mathematical progressions to be sure. Russell appears to be correct. I am also intrigued by the distorted replications of Leonardo and Picasso, and I am intrigued by the photographs of narcissi and violets which are so distorted from reality that no trace of delectable fragrance is replicated by the photograph. I also know that the mathematical scientist wants to be 100% precise and transmit no distortion. And so I am wondering what has become of the humor in the mathematical scientist. Has the humor in the mathematical scientist been excised from his brain by the process of being scientific much in the same way as the fragrance of violets and daffodils is excised by the photographic process? Is humanity aware of all these excisions that are going on in the name of science, and progress, and truth? I'm wondering if you are amused by the above paragraph. I'm also wondering also how many people find mathematical science to be as amusing (or as shocking) as the famous ugly faces drawn by the caricaturists Picasso and Leonardo. I'm wondering. Yes, I'm wondering. Just think about the many caricatures of God and wonder that all this lettering and other caricaturing might have started ages ago when a certain prehistoric human imagineer spent an inordinate amount of time in the company of one oddly shaped potato. You see, I am intrigued by caricature and by growth, and I perceive that I myself am a caricature of the idealized human form. I perceive other objects as caricatures of some other thing as well. Each one of us, like each letter and numeral we use, is a caricature of some other thing. And I find caricatures to be both shocking and funny. In fact the more I think about this, the more funny and surprising everything becomes. You and I, we live in STRANGE and SHOCKING times. This is one reason why, from time to time, I identify myself as "The Jester." At other times I identify myself as "Green Frog." Go dig in your potato patch and you might dig up a prototype of me. What you see, and what you hear and what you think, and everything that you perceive is a caricature, something funny, something strange. Are you with me? I hope you dig it! Certainly when you make a careful study of mathematical foundations you encounter some strange ideas. (Tee hee!) This might be a reason why mathematics is considered rather difficult by lots of people who don't want to seem very strange or very funny. On the other hand, it's easier to study Plato, Bertrand Russell, and Peano than it is to drink a quart of milk from a pinyon nut. There are a whole lot of other mathematical theorists to study as well. There are also many other caricaturists worthy of study. Like, for instance, how about a complete study of Ludwig Wittgenstein? The truth that is more fundamental than caricature is a grand idea that probably can't be defined precisely even using mathematics. In a desperate pursuit of truth one is surprised by a loud fart or a popping balloon that suggests a thunderclap's burst of divine afflatus. Funny as we humans are, we remain mere distorted mortal fragments, lingering remnants of the Big Bang. Yes, and even if someone claims to be a god or to know a god, it’s funny. Ahhhh. As a break from all this wordiness and thought, allow me for twenty minutes to enjoy in my mouth the slow dissolution of a whole tablespoon of clear white delectable Pittosporum honey. The olfactory brain is much older than the wordy brain. After my life’s long sweet feast I will vibrate my wings and slowly ascend into heaven. ------------ About the author: sixty-eight years of age, and still relatively vigorous in mind, body, emotions, and spirit, John L. Waters is an independent researcher on self-healing, integration, creativity, and unity. To help demonstrate the effectiveness of his research, John has created thousands of drawings, paintings, instrumental music pieces, songs, prose pieces, poems, and other inventions. John has used his research to help persons remove a mental block and solve a problem. John also gives personal presentations which illustrate his research results. Each one of these works demonstrates the effectiveness of John's research. For more information, read John's letters of recommendation: about John's self-healing and integration: about the mystical energy or yogic force and related topics: about John's independent research: about John's seeking an agent or a publisher: Email: blueguntwo@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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